Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Honiara and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,207 a month against $1,718 in Honiara, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Honiara
Learn more

Honiara Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

Jump to prices

Honiara

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands

$1,718

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Honiara and in Phuket

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Honiara and in Phuket actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,718 per month in Honiara vs $1,207 in Phuket, rent included.

Honiara $1,718
Phuket $1,207

A couple spends around $2,833 per month in Honiara vs $2,037 in Phuket, rent included.

Honiara $2,833
Phuket $2,037

A family of three spends $3,948 per month in Honiara vs $2,867 in Phuket, rent included.

Honiara $3,948
Phuket $2,867

Honiara costs about 42% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Honiara sits 27% above the global median, while Phuket is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.94 SBD 56.0

$4.58 ฿153

51.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 SBD 502

$32.48 ฿1,086

91.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 SBD 101

$8.55 ฿286

46.90%

Cappuccino

$3.49 SBD 28.17

$2.72 ฿91.0

28.31%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 SBD 12.75

$0.94 ฿31.25

68.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 SBD 8.90

$0.49 ฿16.39

124.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 SBD 20.59

$2.59 ฿86.6

-1.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.70 SBD 45.93

$3.83 ฿128

48.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 SBD 20.01

$1.74 ฿58.1

42.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 SBD 12.42

$1.43 ฿47.82

7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 SBD 13.29

$1.53 ฿51.0

7.84%

Eggs

$5.51 SBD 44.40

$2.17 ฿72.7

153.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.43 SBD 51.8

$19.15 ฿640

-66.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.58 SBD 69.2

$3.30 ฿110

160.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.40 SBD 124

$11.14 ฿372

38.24%

Apples (1kg)

$6.38 SBD 51.4

$2.95 ฿98.5

116.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.59 SBD 20.89

$1.68 ฿56.1

54.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.44 SBD 68.1

$2.30 ฿76.8

266.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.66 SBD 29.48

$2.13 ฿71.3

71.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SBD 15.60

$1.53 ฿51.1

26.80%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 SBD 27.53

$1.36 ฿45.55

150.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 SBD 11.72

$1.12 ฿37.44

29.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 SBD 8.62

$0.55 ฿18.24

94.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 SBD 33.67

$4.26 ฿142

-1.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.70 SBD 86.3

$18.19 ฿608

-41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 SBD 14.36

$1.74 ฿58.2

2.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 SBD 26.98

$2.79 ฿93.3

20.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 SBD 3.09

$2.22 ฿74.1

-82.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.88 SBD 201

$22.06 ฿737

12.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 SBD 9.70

$2.91 ฿97.3

-58.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 SBD 9.79

$1.01 ฿33.79

19.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.41 SBD 100

$3.83 ฿128

224.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 SBD 10.50

$1.49 ฿49.85

-12.75%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$18.8K SBD 151.8K

$26.7K ฿891.6K

-29.44%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.7K SBD 279.9K

$26.7K ฿892.7K

29.97%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$427 SBD 3,440

$99.4 ฿3,321

329.45%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.52 SBD 222

$11.28 ฿377

143.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.8 SBD 716

$17.36 ฿580

411.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.21 SBD 300

$52.3 ฿1,747

-28.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.24 SBD 74.5

$10.85 ฿362

-14.84%

Cinema Ticket

$4.25 SBD 34.29

$7.57 ฿253

-43.86%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$98.2 SBD 792

$558 ฿18.7K

-82.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,891 SBD 23.3K

$11.5K ฿383.9K

-74.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.02 SBD 218

$62.9 ฿2,102

-57.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$93.7 SBD 756

$28.58 ฿955

227.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 SBD 768

$96.1 ฿3,213

-0.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 SBD 834

$88.1 ฿2,943

17.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$901 SBD 7,263

$729 ฿24.4K

23.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 SBD 3,518

$460 ฿15.4K

-5.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,867 SBD 15.1K

$2,096 ฿70.0K

-10.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,422 SBD 11.5K

$1,222 ฿40.8K

16.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$86.7K SBD 699.2K

$3,459 ฿115.6K

2407.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$63.1K SBD 508.8K

$2,489 ฿83.2K

2436.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$443 SBD 3,574

$493 ฿16.5K

-10.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

15.67

5.57

181.33%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Honiara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Honiara

$543 31.6%

Phuket

$128 10.6% 76.4% $415

Accommodation & Living

Honiara

$436 25.4%

Phuket

$460 38.1% 5.4% $24

Groceries & Markets

Honiara

$345 20.1%

Phuket

$268 22.2% 22.4% $77

Eating Out

Honiara

$170 9.9%

Phuket

$121 10.1% 28.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Honiara

$144 8.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 13.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Honiara

$46 2.7%

Phuket

$67 5.6% 47.5% $22

Getting Around

Honiara

$34 2%

Phuket

$39 3.2% 15.4% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $901 in Honiara versus $729 in Phuket. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 11% higher in Phuket, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Honiara versus $32.00 in Phuket. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $345 vs $268 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇧 Honiara

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

4 h behind Honiara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,600 Capital

79,308

💱 Currency

Solomon Islands Dollar SBD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 SBD = 0.124 USD

1 SBD = 0.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to SBD – Solomon Islands Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇧 Solomon Islands Dollar ($)

Solomon Islands Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 8.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 SBD (1 SBD = 0.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to SBD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Honiara Phuket 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Honiara
Phuket

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Honiara vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,718 in Honiara, $1,207 in Phuket – roughly 42% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,577 per month in Honiara and $1,811 in Phuket. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Honiara, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in Honiara and $32.00 in Phuket. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Honiara at $1,718. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in Honiara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,207 in Phuket to $1,718 in Honiara. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Honiara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.